Book 3: Taiana Kimodo
by Legendary Super Candyce
Summary: This story takes place in the future on the planet Venus. Read the foreword for more in depth summary.
1. Foreword

_Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon or anything affliated with it. I do own Taiana, Sean and the other characters I made up for this story. Alayna and Blaize are owned by Cynthia Hall. Echo is owned by Jenny Kumley. Althena is owned by Heather Morales and Cynthia Hall._   
  
This story is based on Sailor Moon but doesn't actually contain any of the original characters. It is set in the future, on the planet Venus. There are new Scouts now, once for each of the original Scouts. My friends and I wrote the original story in which the Neo Sailor Scouts (the new Scouts we created) went to Earth in the past to help the original Scouts defeat the Negaverse. This story is based on my character Taiana, Neo Sailor Venus. By going back in time, the Neo Scouts were supposed to have prevented the Negaverse from attacking their home planets. For some reason, the future wasn't altered on Venus and the Negaverse attacked anyway. This is the story of how Taiana saved her home planet and discovered her true heritage. 

  
**Characters:**

  
Taiana Kimodo: Neo Sailor Venus   
Sean Atsui: Night Warrior   
Amethyst: Negaverse warrior   
Rhodonite: Negaverse warrior   
Queen Chrysoberyl: Queen Beryl's daughter   
Alayna Kizuno: Neo Sailor Moon   
Blaize Arcaiden: Neo Sailor Mars   
Echo Saegusa (Hibiki): Neo Sailor Mercury   
Althena: Neo Sailor Jupiter 

The original story we wrote can be found at fox_chan.tripod.com, my friend's website. Just enter the site, click on literature and scroll down to multi-chapter fiction. The entire story is there, plus you can see the drawings and read the profiles we wrote for the characters. This was my first ever fan fic, so don't flame too bad, okay? 


	2. Home Again

Chapter 1: Home Again

  


  
"Taiana, wake up!" 

At the sound of a child's voice, Taiana groaned and rolled over. 

"Come on Taiana," the child called, shaking her, "breakfast is almost ready!" 

Taiana slowly opened her eyes. "Jessie, I'm tired. What do you want?" Taiana asked through a yawn. 

"Breakfast is almost ready," Jessie repeated, "and Laura wants you to go to the store afterward." 

At those last words, Taiana sat straight up. Today was the day when the Negaverse had attacked before. Jessie left and Taiana got dressed quickly and went downstairs to get breakfast. 

She entered the kitchen and sat at the table among the other orphans. Laura, the head mistress of the orphanage, sat a plate of pancakes in front of her. She poked at them for a while and ate a little bit. 

"Taiana." Taiana looked up from the syrupy mess on her plate. "I need you to go to the market for me and pick up some eggs." 

Taiana sighed. Being the oldest member of the orphanage, she was always volunteered to go to the market or help cook dinner or take care of the younger children. 

She got up, scraped her breakfast into the trash and stuck the plate in the sink. Laura handed her the money and Taiana was about to leave. 

"Can I go with Tai?" Jessie asked Laura. 

"No," Laura said. 

Usually, Taiana didn't like the younger children to tag along, they were hard to watch and slowed her down. But today was turning out too much like the day the Negaverse attacked and Taiana would rather have Jessie to with her. Besides, out of all the children, Jessie was the nicest and was Taiana's only friend, even if she was only seven. 

"Come on Laura," Taiana pleaded, "let her come with me. She'll be good." Jessie's face lit up when she heard Taiana arguing for her. She thought of Taiana as a big sister. 

"Well..." Laura said thinking. 

"Please!" Taiana and Jessie begged in unison. 

"All right," Laura agreed, "but if you give Taiana any trouble you're not going with her again." 

"I'll be good," Jessie promised, and they left. 

Taiana was surprised at how good Jessie kept up with her. Whenever she had taken the other children with her, they would lag behind and get into everything. They got to the market and Taiana bought the eggs and they started home. 

Taiana was nervous. She kept imagining that shadow passing over the sun. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice when the sun actually did disappear. She was brought back to reality by Jessie gasping. As soon as she realized the sun was gone, she jerked her head toward the heavens. There, stretched across the sky like a giant iron cloud was a Negaverse battleship. One the underside of it was a black, upside-down crescent moon. 

She stared for another few second. Then without warning, Jessie screamed. Taiana's eyes fell from the sky and landed on the sight that had caused Jessie's scream. Coming down the street was a herd of Negaverse monsters. Taiana dropped the eggs, picked up Jessie and ran towards the orphanage. She kept expecting the strange woman to jump out and give her her Transformation Pen, but she never did. 

Taiana and Jessie reached the orphanage and ran inside quickly. Laura approached them quickly. 

"Taiana, what's going on?" Laura asked. Taiana struggled to catch her breath. 

"Th-the planet is under attack!" Taiana managed. 

"Taiana, what are you talking about?" At that precise moment, a scream from the street drifted in. Laura ran to the window and looked out. A few seconds later she turned to Taiana, fear in her eyes. "Help me get the children to the attic." 

Taiana grabbed Jessie's hand and ran upstairs. She got all the children that were upstairs and led them to the hallway where the entrance to the attic was. She jumped up and grabbed the chain hanging from the ceiling, pulling down a hidden flight of stairs. 

"Go," she said to the children. They started up the stairs. 

"What's going on?" A little boy asked. 

"Wait until Laura gets here," was all she said. She followed the children up the stairs. She grouped them all into the center of the attic, then turned to go. 

"Where are you going?" Jessie asked, grabbing her hand. 

"I have to go make sure Laura and the rest of the kids are all right," Taiana told her. 

"Please don't leave me." Taiana looked down at Jessie. She was on the verge of tears. Taiana wasn't sure what to do. Luckily, Laura entered the attic, leading the rest of the children. She pulled the stairs shut behind her. 

"What's going on?" The little boy asked again. 

"Sssh," Laura shushed, "You have to be quiet. The planet is being attacked by the Negaverse." The children began murmuring and the little ones started to cry. "Please, children. You must be quiet, if they hear us, they will capture us." The children fell silent, their eyes wide with fear. 

A sudden crash downstairs caused everyone to jump. 

"I'm scared Tai," Jessie whimpered. 

"It's okay." Taiana hugged her. "I'll protect you." _If only I had my Transformation Pen!_, she thought. Taiana shivered as she heard the monsters milling around downstairs. She could hear them snarling and growling. The sounds kept getting closer until they were right under the hidden stairs. 

"I guess no one's here," a monster said. 

"Wait," another monster growled. Taiana heard someone sniffing. The stairs came down suddenly. All the children began to scream and run around madly. Five monsters entered the attic. Taiana tried to fight, but was thrown into the wall. She started to get up, then collapsed as the darkness enveloped her. 


	3. Prison

Chapter 2: Prison

  


Taiana heard voices all around her. She struggled to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt like they had been dipped in cement. She tried harder and finally saw a pinprick of light, which widened until she had her eyes all the way open. Everything was fuzzy at first, but she blinked a couple of times and her vision cleared. Jessie was standing over her. 

"Hey, she's awake," she called. Suddenly ten other faces appeared above her. 

"Give her room to breathe," she heard Laura say. All the faces disappeared except Jessie's and was replaced by Laura's. "Are you feeling okay?" 

"Yeah," Taiana assured, "my head hurts a little, but other than that, I'm great." She sat up slowly. She was surrounded on three sides by stone walls. On the fourth side was a wall of bars, each an inch thick. 

"Where are we?" Taiana asked. 

"Prison," Jessie answered. 

"The monsters brought us here and locked us up," Laura explained. 

"What are we gonna do?" Taiana asked. 

"I don't know," Laura told her. She looked around the cell. "It's late, we should get some sleep. We'll be able to think clearer in the morning." She left Taiana's side and laid down next to two of the small children, who were already asleep. Taiana decided this was a good idea, so she laid down too. Jessie laid down next to her. 

"Are we ever gonna get out of here?" Jessie whispered. 

"Of course," Taiana comforted, "now get some sleep, it's late." Jessie closed her eyes and a few minutes later she was asleep. Taiana's sleep was not so easy to come by, but a few minutes later she was asleep too. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The next morning, Taiana was awakened by a harsh yelling. 

"Wake up slaves!" a monster yelled, "Queen Chrysoberyl needs work done!" Taiana got up slowly. "Move it!" The rest of the children in the cell got up too. 

"Tai, what's gonna happen?" 

Taiana looked down at Jessie. She grabbed her hand. "I don't know," she answered. Another monster joined the one already outside their cell and whispered something to it. The first monster unlocked the cell door and turned to Taiana and Jessie. 

"You two, go with him," the monster pointed to the other monster, "the rest of you, come with me." Taiana and Jessie did as they were told, Jessie still clutching Taiana's hand. The monster led them outside to where a group of people were standing. Their feet were shackled and a chain hooked everyone together. 

"To the back," the monster ordered. Taiana and Jessie lined up behind the last person, Jessie first, Taiana last. The monster then produced two pairs of shackles and locked their feet together. Then it laced the chain through their shackles. As it bent to hook the chain, a small key fell from somewhere in its clothes. Taiana tried not to look at it for fear the monster would catch her staring and pick up the key. The monster almost saw the key, but then it stood up and walked to the front of the line of people. Taiana bent down and picked up the key. She tucked it carefully into the pocket of her pants. 

"Let's go," the monster called. The chain began to move and Taiana fell into step with the others. They walked for about five minutes and then stopped in front of a mound of bags. "Everybody grab a bag." the monster said. Everyone did as it said. The monster bent down and unhooked the chain from everybody's shackles. 

"Take the bags and pour them into that bin." They lined up behind the bin and struggled to open their bags. Taiana noticed that there was a small space between a building and a pile of pipes. 

Jessie's turn came and she dumped the contents of her bag into the bin. She stepped aside and waited while Taiana dumped her bag. She finished and they started walking towards the bags again. Taiana checked over her shoulder to make sure no one was watching. Then she grabbed Jessie and ducked into the space she had seen earlier. 

"Tai, what...?" Jessie started. 

"Sssh!" Taiana hushed, "Listen Jess, I have to go away for a while." 

"What?" Jessie asked confused. 

"I have to leave," she repeated. 

"Why?" 

"So I can help you and the others," Taiana informed. 

"Taiana, please don't leave me alone," Jessie pleaded, tears forming in her eyes. 

"Jessie, I have to," Taiana told her, "I'll come back, you know I will." 

"Can't I go with you?" Jessie questioned. 

"No, it's too dangerous," Taiana said, "Do me a favor, will you Jessie?" 

"What?" 

"Tell Laura and the other kids that I'm okay." 

"I will," Jessie promised. Taiana looked out of the crevice they were in. No one was paying any attention to their hiding place. 

"Alright, go," Taiana said. Jessie started to leave, then turned back to Taiana. 

"Be careful," Jessie said, sounding older than her seven years. 

"I will," Taiana smiled. Jessie smiled back and then went back and joined the other slaves. Taiana slipped the key out of her pocket and stuck it into the keyhole in the shackles. She twisted it and they popped free. She took them off quickly, glanced around one more time to see if anyone had spotted her, then crawled the whole length of the pipe and emerged on the other side of the mounds of bags. She crept along, then when she was sure she was safe, she stood up and took off running in the direction of the orphanage. 

She had only gone two blocks when she heard voices coming towards her. She ducked behind a pile of debris just as two Nega-dweebs walked by, complete with upside-down black crescent moons. 

"So Amethyst, what does Queen Chrysoberyl plan to do with this planet after all the resources are gone?" the male Nega-nerd asked. 

"Vaporize it," the one named Amethyst answered, twisting her purple hair. Taiana gasped. 

"Did you hear that?" the male asked, "sounded like someone gasped." 

"Oh Rhodonite, you're hearing things. You know Queen Chrysoberyl has everyone on this miserable planet in prison," Amethyst assured. 

Taiana relaxed as the voices drifted away. She realized she was holding her breath and released it with a sigh. She started to stand up when a hand clamped onto her shoulder. 


	4. Together Again

Chapter 3: Together Again

  


Taiana held back the scream that was swelling in her throat. Instead, she grabbed the hand on her shoulder and tripped the person holding her, intending to run away. Something went wrong and Taiana ended up falling on top of the person. She started to get up when two strong arms wrapped around her, pinning her own arms down. 

"Let me go!" Taiana screamed, struggling to get free. 

"Whoa, Tai. Chill out." 

At the sound of her name, Taiana quickly stopped fighting and the arms released her. She stood up quickly and looked down to see who she had attacked. Laying there on the ground where she had tripped him was Sean. 

"Sean, what are you doing here?" Taiana asked. 

"Well, I was gonna see if you wanted some company," Sean told her, picking himself up off the ground, "but judging by the way you knocked me down, you don't need me." 

"No Sean," Taiana said, "what are you doing _here_, on Venus?" 

"I live here," Sean informed. 

"You can't," Taiana insisted. 

"Why not?" 

"Because you live in the past!" Taiana exclaimed. Sean said nothing. Instead he stood motionless for a while, as if he were thinking, then he finally spoke. 

"Taiana, I have to tell you something," Sean said, "but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Can I trust you?" 

"Yes," Taiana answered, eager to hear what he had to say. 

"Well, first things first," Sean started, "I know you're Neo Sailor Venus." Taiana was shocked, but kept silent. Sean continued. "After the Negaverse attacked Venus for the first time, Sailor Pluto sent me to the past to help you and the other Neo Scouts, but you never needed my help. Sailor Pluto sent me back to the future before you, so you wouldn't get suspicious." 

"That's why I never got to say goodbye," Taiana murmured. 

"What?" 

"Nothing," Taiana said, "continue." 

"Well, somehow the future was only altered on the other planets, not Venus and the Negaverse attacked anyway. I got away from the monsters and Sailor Pluto told me that I had to find you," Sean finished. 

"Now that you found me, what are we supposed to do?" Taiana asked. 

"First we have to find you Transformation Pen," Sean informed. 

"But how?" Taiana inquired, "I heard two Nega-creeps talking and they said that everyone on the planet is in prison!" 

"Not everybody," Sean said, "We're not." Taiana smiled. "Come on, we've got a Transformation Pen to find." They turned to leave. Suddenly a Nega-monster dropped out of the sky and landed right in front of Taiana and Sean. Taiana screamed and took a step back. 

"What are you doing here?" the monster hissed, "no matter, I'll fix it." The monster shot a bolt of electricity straight at Taiana. She was frozen with fear. All she could do was scream. 

"Watch out!" Sean yelled. He pushed Taiana out of the way just in the nick of time, but he was unable to dodge it himself. The electricity bolt hit him and threw him into a pile of boxes nearby, which collapsed on top of him. 

"Sean!" Taiana screamed. 

"You should worry about yourself little girl," the monster sneered. It shot another electricity bolt at Taiana. She dodged it and at the same time picked up a two by four that was on the ground. She swung it at the monster, catching it in the arm. The monster howled in pain, then snatched the board from Taiana's hands. 

"You'll pay for that brat," the monster growled and shot a lightning bolt at Taiana. Suddenly, a rock rose out of the ground and absorbed the lightning. 

"What...?" the monster growled. 

"Don't'cha know it's not nice to pick on girls?" a voice boomed. 

Taiana and the monster both looked up to see a figure standing on the roof of a nearby building. He wore a midnight blue tuxedo (complete with cape of course) and no hat. His brown hair glistened in the noonday sun. 

"How are you?" the monster asked, slight fear in it's voice. 

The newcomer jumped from the roof of the building and landed easily in front of the monster. "I am Night Warrior." He turned to Taiana. "Are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Taiana answered. She was shocked. She knew Sean had some kind of powers, but she didn't know that he was a superhero. 

"Enough chit-chat," the monster snarled, "Say goodbye!" The monster raised it's arms to the sky and a lightning bolt shot down and landed between Taiana and Night Warrior, throwing them both aside. The monster charged a bolt of electricity and threw it at Sean and Taiana. Night Warrior pulled Taiana next to him and put his cape around both of them. The bolt hit his cape and bounced off. Night Warrior then got up and raised him hands to the sky exactly as the monster had down and a bolt of lightning struck the monster. It howled, then disintegrated and blew away. As soon as the monster was gone, Night Warrior turned back into Sean. 

"Wow Sean," Taiana exclaimed, "that was wicked cool." 

"You think so?" Sean asked. 

"Yeah," Taiana answered, "except you gotta work on your entrance phrase. 'Don't'cha know it's not nice to pick on girls'. I'm sure you could come up with something better." 

"For your sake, I'll work on it," Sean promised. 

"Okay," Taiana smiled. 

"We better get going," Sean said, "who knows what other Nega-monsters are lurking around here." They headed in the direction Taiana had been going originally, towards the orphanage. 

When they arrived at the orphanage, they weren't surprised to find it in ruins. Taiana stepped through the broken door into the living room, followed by Sean. 

"Tai, what exactly are we doing here?" Sean inquired. 

"I figured since the lady who has my pen didn't give it to me yet, she might have come here to see if I was still around," Taiana explained. She ran through the trashed living room to the stairs and started up them. 

"Hey wait up!" Sean called and hurried after her. She bounded up the stairs and didn't stop until she reached her room. She almost didn't want to go inside, an instinct told her she didn't, but she ignored it and pushed the door open. 

When she saw the condition of the room, she knew she should have trusted her instinct. The room was torn up worse than the living room. There were clothes and toys all over the place. Taiana took a step in and kicked something. She bent over and picked it up. It was a picture frame containing a picture of her and the Neo Sailor Scouts at Raye's temple. The glass covering the picture had been shattered. 

"We'll get those Nega-creeps," Sean assured as he put a hand on her shoulder. 

Taiana turned and smiled at him. "Thanks." She turned the frame over in her hands and popped the back off. She carefully removed the picture and dropped the frame. It crashed to the floor and sprayed glass in all directions. Taiana paid no attention. She folded the picture and put it in her pocket. Then she turned back to Sean. 

"I guess she's not here," Taiana commented, "we better go." 

"Okay," Sean agreed. They both turned and left the room. Taiana led the way as they left the destroyed orphanage. They stood outside of the front door contemplating what to do next. 

"I think we should stay the night here," Taiana suggested, "just in case that woman comes looking for me." 

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Sean said doubtfully, "we defeated that monster only a few blocks away and when the Negaverse finds out, they're gonna be looking for whoever did it. We should put as much distance as possible between us and the orphanage. He looked at Taiana, who seemed to be staring into space. "Taiana, are you even listening to me?" 

"Sssh!" Taiana put her finger to her lips, "Listen!" Sean looked puzzled for a moment, then cocked his head and listened. A few seconds later, he heard it. 

It was a baby crying. 


	5. Neo Sailor Venus is Reborn

Chapter 4: Neo Sailor Venus is Reborn

  


Sean and Taiana silently ran towards the source of the crying. As they drew closer, they heard a woman's voice mixed in with the crying. Taiana and Sean exchanged glances as they ran. They were both thinking the same thing, that maybe the woman and the baby were the ones that had Taiana's Transformation Pen. 

They ran down an alley next to the orphanage. The voices were getting closer. Suddenly, the woman's voice stopped and the baby's crying seemed muffled. Taiana and Sean stopped running. Then the woman's voice came again. 

"Please my darling, hush. IF they hear us, they will capture us." 

Taiana couldn't stand it anymore. She bolted out of the alleyway and into a small space behind the orphanage where she used to hide when she was younger. Huddled behind some boxes were the woman who had Taiana's Transformation Pen and her baby, both wrapped in a cloak. She drew in her breath as she heard someone enter the hiding place, then let it out when she saw it was Taiana. She jumped up, baby in hand and ran to Taiana's side. 

"Taiana," the woman cried, "I thought you had been captured and taken to prison." 

"I was, but I escaped," Taiana informed, "Listen, this is going to be kind of a shock, but I need my Pen." 

"How do you know about the Pen?" the woman asked. 

"It's a long story," Taiana told her, "and I don't have time to explain now, I need my Pen so I can transform and save the planet from the Negaverse." The woman pulled the Pen out of her cloak and handed it to Taiana. 

"Thank you," Taiana said. 

"We should go," Sean suggested. 

"Yeah," Taiana agreed, "but I have one more question." She turned to the woman, "how do you know me?" 

The woman started the answer but was cut off as a nearby pile of wood exploded. Taiana turned around and saw another Nega-monster standing behind her. Taiana turned back to the woman. 

"Run!" she yelled. The woman turned to go, then stopped. 

"Taiana, take this." The woman handed her a necklace with a single golden stone on it. 

"What's it for?" Taiana asked. 

"It will protect you," was the answer and with that, the woman ran, clutching her baby tightly. Taiana put the necklace on quickly and turned back to the monster. 

"You're space dust, Nega-sleaze!" she shouted. 

"Oooo, such big talk from such a little girl," the monster sneered. 

"I'm not a little girl!" Taiana lifted her Pen to the sky. "Venus Light Power!" A bright light surrounded her and when it diminished, she had transformed into Neo Sailor Venus. Night Warrior was already beside her. 

"Beautiful show kids." 

At the sound of another voice, Neo Sailor Venus and Night Warrior looked up. Floating in the sky above them was another Nega-freak. She had purple hair and was wearing what most Nega-tramps do. 

"Who are you?" Neo Sailor Venus asked. 

"I am Amethyst," the woman announced. 

"You're one of the Nega-drones I heard talking earlier!" Neo Sailor Venus exclaimed. 

"So, Rhodonite did hear something," Amethyst commented, "Oh well, he doesn't need to know he was right." She turned back to Neo Sailor Venus adn NIght Warrior, "now back to business. Monster, take care of these two." 

"With pleasure," the monster hissed, "Poison Rain!" Instantly the sky turned black and rain began to pour down. A drop struck Neo Sailor Venus and she fell to the ground. 

"It's zapping my energy," she cried weakly. Night Warrior, who was protected by his cape, shot some rocks at the monster. He turned to Neo Sailor Venus. 

"Use your powers!" Night Warrior yelled. She nodded and got up shakily. 

"Venus Whirlwind..." Neo Sailor Venus began to spin and was soon engulfed in a tornado. From somewhere inside the tornado, she called "Blast!" and the whirlwind flew straight at the monster. The rain disappeared and the monster staggered a little. Neo Sailor Venus raised her arms to the sky. 

"Venus Celestial Lightbeam!" A light beam fell from the sky and surrounded the monster, annihilating it. 

"What?" Amethyst cried form her perch in the sky. 

"Now it's your turn," Neo Sailor Venus shouted at her. 

"This isn't over," Amethyst cried and disappeared. 

"Venus power diminish." Taiana returned to her jeans and shirt. 

"Night power diminish." Night Warrior turned back into Sean. 

"Well, now what?" Taiana asked 

"We have to find the Negaverse headquarters," Sean informed. 

"How are we gonna do that?" Taiana questioned. 

"We find some monsters and follow them," Sean answered. 

"Okay," Taiana agreed, "we better start looking." They left the alley where they had found the woman and headed back toward the prison. 

"It's the most likely place to find monsters," Sean said. 

When they arrived just outside the prison, they were dismayed to find that there wasn't any monsters or Nega-nerds in sight. 

"Well, now what?" Taiana inquired. 

Sean shrugged. "We wait," he told her, "someone has to be guarding the prison." 

"Well, if it isn't the little Sailor brat and her boyfriend." 

Taiana and Sean looked up to see Amethyst and another Nega-creep hovering in the air above them. They slowly floated to the ground. 

"Queen Chrysoberyl requests your audience," the other Nega-creep announced. 

"Too bad," Taiana told him. She lifted her Pen to the sky. "Venus Light..." 

"Stop her Rhodonite!" Amethyst shouted. 

Rhodonite pointed his finger at Taiana. A stream of water spewed out and knocked the Pen from her hand. The Pen hit the ground and skidded under a nearby bush. What happened next seemed to take hours but was only seconds. Taiana dove for her pen and at the same moment Amethyst threw a ball of fire at Sean, sending him to the ground. Taiana snatched her Pen and stood up. She was immediately hit by a fireball. She fell to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. She slipped her Pen into her pocket. She was yanked to her feet roughly. She saw Sean next to her, his hands bound behind him. Her hands were jerked behind her back as well and were tied together. 

"Now, as I said before," Rhodonite repeated, giving Taiana's wrist restraints an extra jerk, "Queen Chrysoberyl requests your audience. Taiana winced as the restraints bit into her wrists. "Let's go," Rhodonite ordered. 

"Whatever you say, Rhodonite," Amethyst said sarcastically. As Taiana watched, everything around her except Amethyst, Sean. Rhodonite and the monster holding Sean disappeared. Everything went white for a second, then another scene came into focus. 

It was a throne room. 


	6. Inside the NegaPalace

Chapter 5: Inside the Nega-Palace

  


Taiana took in the scene around her. She was in a throne room, no doubt about that. The room was dimly lit by a series of candles. Sitting on the throne against the far wall was a woman who looked strangely like the Queen Beryl she had seen in her history books, the one the Sailor Scouts defeated. Amethyst and Rhodonite walked out from behind Sean and Taiana. Taiana looked over at Sean and they exchanged worried glances. 

"Queen Chrysoberyl," Rhodonite started, "these children are Neo Sailor Venus and Night Warrior." 

"Excellent Rhodonite," Queen Chrysoberyl praised, "take them to the dungeon. Put him in the Electricity Bubble so he can't transform and take away the girl's Pen." 

"Right away, your Majesty," Rhodonite and Amethyst said in unison. 

"Move," ordered Amethyst. Taiana and Sean did as they were told. They were led out of the throne room and down a long flight of stairs to a dark room lined with small cells. Rhodonite led Sean to a room containing a silver circular platform. 

"On the disk," Rhodonite's gruff command left no room for argument. Sean stepped onto the platform. Rhodonite pushed a button on the base of the platform and a clear dome surrounded Sean. Sean began pounding on the glass and he looked like he was yelling, though Taiana could hear nothing. Sean fell to his knees. 

Taiana struggled to get free. "Sean!" She yelled, "What are you doing to him?" 

"Sucking up all his energy," Amethyst answered, amused. "This way, he won't be able to transform into Night Warrior." She turned away from the Electricity Bubble and faced Taiana. "Now, for you. Give me your Pen." Taiana hesitated, then realizing there was no use in resisting, dug the Pen out of her pocket and handed it to Amethyst. Amethyst cut her wrist restraints. 

"Wonderful," Amethyst smiled and pushed Taiana into the cell next to Sean's, locking the door behind her. Amethyst walked over to the monster standing guard. "Guard this with your life." She handed it Taiana's Transformation Pen. Rhodonite joined Amethyst and they ascended the stairs, leaving Sean, Taiana and the monster alone. 

Taiana crawled into a corner and pulled her knees up under her chin. Suddenly a million thoughts began to run through her head. _I failed everyone,_she thought. _I failed Sean and I failed Jessie and I failed Laura and I failed the planet. Most of all, I failed the other Neo Scouts._ She didn't know how long she sat there, half dazed and wallowing in self pity, or how long she would have if a voice hadn't cut through her thoughts. 

"You're not a failure Tai." The voice washed away all her own thoughts. At first, she didn't recognize the voice, but as it continued, she finally realized who it was. The voice belonged to Mina, Sailor Venus from the past. "You have to believe in yourself and you can get out of this mess. Your thoughts are the key." The voice faded as quickly as it had come. 

"My thoughts are the key," Taiana repeated aloud, "what does that mean?" Still in a daze, she turned over the phrase in her mind. "My thoughts are the key, thoughts are the key, thoughts are..." Suddenly, Taiana snapped out of it. "The key!" she shouted. The monster looked at her from across the room. 

"What did you say?" the monster growled. 

"I said theky," Taiana answered hesitantly, "it's an old word here on Venus for dungeon cell." The monster looked at her for a few more seconds, then turned away. Taiana sighed. She stuck her hand in her pocket and fished out the key to the shackles she had picked up after the monster dropped it back at the prison. She knew it would never unlock the cell door, but she hoped she could jimmy it open with the small key. Now all she had to do was wait for the monster to fall asleep or leave. 

Taiana sat in the corner for hours, waiting for the monster to fall asleep and going over her plan of escape. Her plane was simple, after the monster left or fell asleep, Taiana planned to force the lock open with the key, get her Transformation Pen from the monster, defeat it, unlock Sean and get him out of the Electricity Bubble, then go to the throne room and defeat Queen Chrysoberyl. Of course, that was if she could get the cell door open. 

She sighed as she watched the monster. It showed no signs of being tired. Taiana was getting impatient, so she decided to sing to pass the time. At first, her voice was just a whisper, but it gradually became a steady but quiet hum. As she sang, she noticed the monster's head began to droop. Back at the orphanage, she used to sing the younger children to sleep if they got scared at night. It seemed to be working on the monster, so she continued to sing. Before long, the monster's head was lolling on it's shoulder and it was snoring softly. Taiana sang for a few more minutes to make sure it was really asleep, then got up and walked to the door. She stuck her hand through the bar and slipped the key into the keyhole and jiggled it. In the back of her mind, she had expected the door to pop open right away, for her plan to go smoothly, but it didn't. Every time she moved the key and the door didn't open, she got more and more disheartened. She was just about to give up when there was a loud click and the door swung open an inch. Taiana's head snapped up and she looked at the monster, fearing the click of the lock releasing had awakened it. It still slept soundly as before. She pulled her arm back through the bars and pushed the door open slowly. About a quarter of the way open, it began to creak. Taiana stopped pushing it and decided not to try it. Instead she slipped through the narrow opening between the door and the doorjamb. 

Once outside the cell, Taiana slipped quietly across the room to where the monster slept. It clutched her Pen in it's hand. Taiana grabbed the top of the Pen and tugged softly. The monster stopped snoring and shifted a bit in it's seat. Taiana drew in a breath then let it out as the monster resumed snoring. She gripped the Pen tighter and pulled harder. The Pen began to slip out of the monster's grasp. Taiana pulled harder and the Pen came free. Unfortunately the Pen leaving it's hands woke up the monster. 

"Hey!" it shouted, "how did you get out of your cell?" 

Taiana ignored the monster and raised her Pen above her head. "Venus Light Power!" she shouted and was instantly transformed into Neo Sailor Venus. The monster snarled and lunged at her. Taiana dodged it and it fell to the ground. She took a step back and waited for the monster to get to it's feet. It did and shot a block of ice at her. Before the ice reached her, Taiana yelled "Venus Crescent V Flash!" The beam of light broke the ice block in half and continued on. It went straight through the monster and turned it to dust. 

Taiana hurriedly grabbed the keys off the wall and unlocked Sean's cell. She didn't know if anyone upstairs had heard the commotion down there, but she wasn't about to wait around and find out. She pulled the cell door open, but she didn't go in. She stood for a moment and stared at the Electricity Bubble with Sean inside. He was slumped down on the bottom, not moving. Taiana took a deep breath and murmured, "I hope this works." She took another step back. "Venus Lovechain Encircle!" Immediately a chain of hearts began to swirl around her. She pointed at the Electricity Bubble and the heart-chain left her body and spiraled around the Bubble. Seconds later it burst into a spray of glass. Taiana ran forward and caught Sean before he hit the ground. 

"Sean," Neo Sailor Venus called. She shook him gently. "Can you hear me?" Sean groaned and slowly opened his eyes. 

"Tai, what happened?" he asked hoarsely. 

"Don't worry about it," Taiana told him, "I have something to take care of, then I'll get you out of here." 

"You're going to fight Queen Chrysoberyl, aren't you?" Sean asked. 

"It's the only way to get out of here and save the planet," Neo Sailor Venus told him. 

"You can't do it by yourself," Sean insisted, "I'm coming with you." He started to get up. 

"No!" Taiana ordered, "All of your energy has been zapped. You're not even strong enough to transform. You definitely can't fight." 

"But..."Sean started. 

"No buts," Taiana told him, "stay here. Don't try to follow me." She laid him down slowly on the cold stone floor and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll be back soon." She left the dungeon and headed up the stairs, towards Queen Chrysoberyl's throne room. 


	7. Friends 'til the End

Chapter 6: Friends 'til the End"

  


Taiana reached the top of the stairs and was almost seen by Rhodonite and Amethyst. She crouched behind a sculpture of a monster just in time. They walked by, chatting as they went and descended the stairs towards the dungeon. _Oh no!_ Taiana thought, _they're gonna find Sean!_ She thought for a moment, then decided to continue on. _ I'll have to defeat Queen Chrysoberyl fast, for Sean's sake._

She kept going and finally arrived at the doorway to the Queen's throne room. She took a deep breath. 

"Here goes," she whispered and slipped quietly inside. She stayed against the wall, hidden in the shadows and checking out her odds. The only person in the throne room was Queen Chrysoberyl herself, and she made no indication that she had heard Neo Sailor Venus enter. _This is it,_ she thought and stepped out of the shadows. 

Queen Chrysoberyl had sensed that someone was in the room, and had looked around. Seeing no one if the room, she had continued going over the progress on Venus. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see Neo Sailor Venus standing in the middle of the room. 

"What are you doing here?" Queen Chrysoberyl roared. She was dismayed that Neo Sailor Venus didn't even flinch. 

"I'm here to destroy you and take back my planet!" she announced. 

"Poor child," Queen Chrysoberyl chuckled, "do you honestly think you can defeat me?" 

"Yes, you Nega-tramp!" Neo Sailor Venus yelled. 

"No one calls me names and gets away with it!" Queen Chrysoberyl declared. She put one arm out, her palm towards Taiana and a gush of black energy headed straight for Neo Sailor Venus. She dodged just in time and it harmlessly hit the wall. 

"Now it's my turn!" Taiana shouted, "Lightning Tornado Zap!" A small cyclone of lightning began to swirl in her upturned palms. She brought her arms back and threw the twirling lights at Queen Chrysoberyl. The tornado grew quickly and headed straight towards the Nega-queen. Just before it hit her, a dark force field surrounded the Queen, absorbing the Lightning Tornado. 

"Too bad," Queen Chrysoberyl said with mock sympathy. "Dark Energy Annihilate!" Another beam headed for Neo Sailor Venus. 

"Venus Crescent V Flash!" Taiana's bolt of light met Queen Chrysoberyl's half way. Taiana struggled to maintain her balance. The black energy was gradually taking over the light beam. Neo Sailor Venus strained against the pressure of the two beams. The dark energy was almost to her and she struggled to push it away. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the two beams where they met, stopping them both. 

"I thought I already warned you Nega-losers about picking on my friend. I guess now I have to prove I was serious." Neo Sailor Venus and Queen Chrysoberyl looked at the doorway to find Night Warrior standing there. He strode quickly across the room and stood next to Taiana. 

"How was my line this time?" he whispered. 

"Better, but it still needs work," Taiana told him. "I thought your energy was gone." Sean started to reply but was interrupted. 

"Enough talk," Queen Chrysoberyl stated. "Dark Energy Annihilate!" 

"Rocks arise!" Night Warrior called. A huge rock rose out of the floor and absorbed the black bolt. Then the rock disappeared. 

"That's enough," Queen Chrysoberyl said, "I'm tired of playing with you children. Dark Energy Dome!" Before Night Warrior or Neo Sailor Venus could do anything, a black dome covered them. Immediately, the dome began to suck their strength. 

"Venus...Whirlwind...Blast!" Neo Sailor Venus managed. The whirlwind hit the dome and shattered it into a million pieces. Even though the dome was gone, their energy had already been zapped. 

"Looks like I've got you," Queen Chrysoberyl snickered. "Dark Energy Annihilate!" The beam was headed straight for Neo Sailor Venus. _I tried, Mina,_she thought and closer her eyes, waiting for the shock. 

"Moondust Cloud Envelop!" 

"Crimson Dragon Flame!" 

"Polar Icicle Launch!" 

"Jupiter Rockslide Smash!" 

Taiana raised her head and saw Queen Chrysoberyl recoil as she was hit by the attacks. The next thing she knew, she was being helped to her feet. 

"Are you okay?" Neo Sailor Moon asked. 

"I'm fine," Neo Sailor Venus answered, "What are you guys doing here?" 

"We heard you were in trouble," Neo Sailor Jupiter informed, "so we came to help." 

"I'm glad you guys are here," Neo Sailor Venus told them. 

"We're glad you're okay," Neo Sailor Mercury said. 

"Yeah, now let's kick some Nega-butt!" Neo Sailor Mars shouted. 

"Yeah!" the five agreed in unison. 

"Venus Kaleidoscope Confusion!" Neo Sailor Venus yelled. A bunch of bright lights began flashing around Queen Chrysoberyl. 

"What's going on?" she shouted. 

"Now Scouts!" Neo Sailor Venus called. 

"Crescent Shock Beam!" 

"Volcanic Lava Eruption!" 

"Mercury Tidal Crash!" 

"Jupiter Landmine Explosion!" 

"Lightning Tornado Zap!" 

All the attacks hit their target dead on. Queen Chrysoberyl slumped down in her throne. 

"Good job, Sailors," Night Warrior complimented, "She's almost done, finish her!" 

"I'm not as done as you thought," Queen Chrysoberyl smiled, "Dark Energy Dome!" 

Just as before the dome surrounded them and began to zap their energy. 

"Not again," Taiana groaned. 

"How do we get out?" Echo asked weakly. 

"We have to break it," Taiana answered. 

"I'll do it," Blaize volunteered, "Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" The rings of fire began to bounce off the dome walls, but didn't go through. 

"I don't understand," Neo Sailor Venus said, barely able to talk, "it worked before." 

"She's using our energy to strengthen the dome," Alayna informed, "I might be able to break it if I use the Lunar Apocalyptic Chaos." 

"No Alayna," Althena whispered, "you're not strong enough." 

"It's our only chance," Neo Sailor Moon said, "Lunar Apocalyptic Chaos!" The attack hit the dome and shattered it. Even though the dome was gone, the Neo Sailor Scouts and Night Warrior were too weak to get up. 

Taiana was laying face down on the cold floor. In front of her face lay the stone of the necklace that the woman had given her. As she stared at it, the Venus symbol appeared in it and began to glow. Immediately, Taiana began to feel stronger. The brighter the symbol glowed, the stronger Taiana felt. She stood up. 

"Asking for more?" Queen Chrysoberyl smirked, "here you go. Dark Energy..." She stopped suddenly. Her eyes were fixed upon the necklace. "The Crest of Venus," she whispered. 

"Crest of Venus Eliminate!" Neo Sailor Venus shouted, not knowing where the words had come from. The necklace glowed brighter than ever. Queen Chrysoberyl's face twisted in horror. Suddenly, a white-hot beam shot out of the necklace, knocking Neo Sailor Venus back a couple of steps. The beam hit Queen Chrysoberyl and went right through her. 

"Noooo!" she screamed, then the light engulfed her. Everyone covered their eyes because the light was so bright. All of a sudden, the light exploded and disappeared, taking Queen Chrysoberyl with it. Little pieces of light floated down onto the Neo Sailor Scouts and Night Warrior, restoring their energy. They all got up and ran to Taiana who was still standing in the same spot. 

"You did it, Neo Sailor Venus!" the Scouts exclaimed. 

"Yeah," she said dazed, then collapsed. Night Warrior caught her. 

"Taiana, are you okay?" Sean asked worried. 

"Yeah, I'm fine," she answered wearily, "just a little drained." 

"You did it, Tai," Alayna exclaimed, "you beat Queen Chrysoberyl." 

"Where did you get that necklace?" Althena asked. 

"From the woman who had my Pen," Taiana told her. 

"What is the 'Crest of Venus'?" Echo inquired. 

"I don't know," she answered. She stood up. "I think we better get out of here and go back to Venus. There's still monster's down there and we don't know where Amethyst and Rhodonite went." 

"Good idea," Neo Sailor Moon agreed, "Neo Sailor Teleport!" They all disappeared from the throne room and reappeared on Venus, right outside the prison. A monster was standing nearby. 

"Ready guy?" Neo Sailor Moon asked. 

"Ready!" the other Sailors answered. 

"Moondust Cloud Envelope!" 

"Polar Icicle Launch!" 

"Jupiter Rockslide Smash!" 

"Crimson Dragon Flame!" 

"Venus Sky Light Burst!" 

All the attacks joined the Light Burst and covered the whole planet, destroying any monsters left. After all monsters were gone, the sky turned blue again. 

"Now, to release the prisoners," Neo Sailor Venus said. 

"Not so fast." Suddenly Amethyst and Rhodonite appeared in front of them. 

"You destroyed our Queen," Rhodonite said, "Now we must avenge her!" 

"You will pay for what you've done," Amethyst warned. She raised her arms to the sky. "Power of the Nega-moon, destroy the Sailor brats!" Black streaks of light began to shoot down from the sky. The Neo Scouts dodged them. 

"Mars Fire Ignite!" Neo Sailor Mars shot fire at the Nega-nerds. Rhodonite pointed at the fire and extinguished it with a stream of water, then knocked Neo Sailor Mars down with it. 

"Blaize, are you okay?" Neo Sailor Moon asked, running to her side. Neo Sailor Jupiter and Mercury joined them. Neo Sailor Venus watched them go, then turned to Rhodonite and Amethyst. 

"Venus Celestial Lightbeam!" Taiana yelled. A pillar of light surrounded Rhodonite and Amethyst. Within seconds they were nothing but dust. 

The other four Scouts and Night Warrior ran to Neo Sailor Venus. 

"That was wicked cool," Neo Sailor Mars complimented. 

"Yeah, but now it's time to release the prisoners," Night Warrior told the girls, "Night Power diminish." 

"Sean?!" Neo Sailor Moon, Mercury, Mars and Jupiter said in shock, "What are you doing here?" 

"It's a long story," Sean told them, "right now we have to help the prisoners." 

"Right!" the Neo Sailor Scouts agreed in unison, "Sailor Power diminish." The five girls and Sean went into the prison. 

Inside the prison, the people recoiled in fear as they saw the girls and Sean walk by, thinking they were part of the Negaverse. 

"It's okay," Taiana comforted, "we're here to release you." She found a rack on the wall containing six or seven keys. They each took one and began unlocking the cells. Taiana hurried to the cell where Jessie, Laura and the other were being held. 

Jessie saw Taiana first. She jumped up and ran to the bars. "Taiana!" she yelled. Taiana unlocked the cell door and Jessie jumped into her arms. 

"Taiana," she said, "you came back!" 

"Of course I did," Taiana smiled, "I told you I would." The other children came running out and hugged Taiana too. Laura came out last. 

"I don't know how you did it," Laura told her, "but thank you." 

"If I didn't, who would?" she asked laughing. Just then, Alayna, Blaize, Echo, Althena and Sean walked up. 

"Who are they?" Jessie asked. 

"These are my friends," Taiana informed, "I couldn't have saved you without them." Taiana smiled and they smiled back. 

"I know!" Echo suddenly exclaimed, "Let's celebrate by going out for ice cream!" Everyone laughed as they left the prison. 


	8. The Truth Comes Out

Chapter 7: The Truth Comes Out

  


Taiana woke up to the sun shining on her face. She sat up and smiled. It had been a week since she and the other Neo Scouts had defeated Queen Beryl. The repairs on the planet were pretty much through and she was supposed to meet Sean today. Life was good. 

She went downstairs expecting to be greeted with the children's hellos, but instead everyone, including Jessie, was quiet. 

"What's going on?" Taiana asked Laura, who didn't look happy either. 

"The Queen of Venus wants to see you," Laura informed. 

"What?" 

"Her Majesty's royal escort will be here at 9:00," Laura said, "You better go upstairs and get ready." 

Taiana did as she was told. As she changed into her nicest dress and fixed her hair, a million questions were racing through her head. What did the Queen of Venus want? Was she angry with Taiana? Taiana dismissed the last question. Why would the Queen be mad at her? She had saved the planet. Taiana left her room and went downstairs, still pondering what the Queen could possibly want with her. 

The Queen's escort arrived shortly before 9:00. They led Taiana to a huge white limo. _Maybe this won't be so bad after all,_ she thought. She waved goodbye to the children and Laura as the limo sped away. 

The ride to the Queen's Palace was a quiet one. After they had first left the orphanage, Taiana had asked the escorts if they knew why the Queen wanted to see her. They said they didn't know. No one said anything after that. 

At the palace, Taiana was led into the main hall and then to an open door. 

"Please wait here," one of the escorts told Taiana. The two escorts entered the open doorway and disappeared into the room. A few seconds later, she heard voices drifting out of the room and into the giant hallway. Taiana wanted to peak into the room to see what was going on, but didn't for fear someone would think she was eavesdropping. She continued to listen to the voices. 

A few minutes later, the escorts came back. "The Queen wishes to see you now." Taiana followed the escorts into the throne room. 

This throne room was nothing like the throne room of Queen Chrysoberyl. Her throne room had been dark and foreboding. This throne room was the exact opposite. Sunlight streamed in from an overhead skylight and the room was decorated in bright colors. Taiana turned her head from side to side as she walked forward, taking in the scene around her. 

"Taiana." At the sound of her name, Taiana looked up at the Queen. At first she didn't recognize her, but as she stared, she realized who she was, even without her cloak. 

"Y...your Majesty," Taiana started, then couldn't think of anything else to say. 

"Before you say anything, I must tell you what I brought you here to tell you," Queen Marina said. She took a deep breath. "Taiana, I am your mother." 

"What?" Taiana asked, shocked. 

"I know you must have a million questions," Queen Marina said, "so just let me tell you the whole story. Fifteen years ago, just before you were born, the Negaverse threatened to attack the planet. I was in no condition to fight, so the Negaverse said they would make me a deal. If I gave them my first-born child, which was you, to raise as a member of the Negamoon family, they would leave Venus alone. I agreed, seeing no other option. You were born and the Negaverse came for you. The night before, I snuck out of the palace with you and took you to the orphanage. When the Negaverse came for you I told them you had died. They believed me and left. I wanted to get you back from the orphanage but I was afraid the Negaverse were find out you were alive and try to take you again. Your father and I decided to leave you at the orphanage until you were old enough to inherit the Transformation Pen. Then your little sister was born. The Negaverse came back, thinking she was my first-born, and I knew I had no choice but to give you the Pen. Judging by the outcome of the battle, I made the right choice." 

Taiana was silent. She had a thousand things she wanted to say, but just couldn't think of the right words. The only thing she could say was "wow." This one word let her put her thoughts together and speak. "Does this mean I'm a Princess?" 

"Yes," the Queen answered, "You are the Princess of Venus and will inherit the Kingdom someday." Taiana smiled. 

"Your Majesty?" The Queen looked past Taiana to a servant standing in the doorway. 

"Yes?" 

"Princess Hana is awake," the servant informed. 

"Good," Queen Marina said, "bring her here. I want her to meet her big sister." 

"As you wish." The servant bowed, then left the throne room. 

"Your father should be back by dinner," her mother told Taiana. "He went to oversee some repairs." Taiana nodded. "Would you like a tour of the palace?" 

"Sure," Taiana answered. The Queen got up and walked over to Taiana. 

"You have grown up so beautiful," she said. The servant entered, carrying a small child. She handed the baby to the Queen and left. "This is your sister," Queen Marina said. She handed Hana to Taiana. The baby began to coo and wrapped her small hands in Taiana's hair. 

"She likes you," the Queen informed. Taiana smiled. "Come on, let's show you the palace." Queen Marina led Taiana around the whole palace, showing her every room. At dinner, she was introduced to her father, King Otosan. After dinner she was allowed to wander the palace grounds. 

She was walking through a garden when she suddenly remembered Sean. She thought about asking if she could go talk to him, but she decided to wait until tomorrow. After awhile, she got tired and went up to her room. An hour later she fell asleep, thinking about all the people she wanted to tell about her amazing day. 

--------------------------------------- 

Taiana awakened the next morning to a knock at her bedroom door. She got up quickly and opened the door. 

"Breakfast is almost ready," an old servant told her, "Your mother and father expect you at the table." 

"Uh, okay," Taiana answered, not quite sure what to say. The servant left and Taiana got dressed quickly. She then hurried downstairs. 

The King and Queen were already located at the table. Hana was sitting in a richly decorated high chair next to Queen Marina and King Otosan was sitting at the head of the table. There was an empty chair across from her mother and she sat in it. 

"Good morning Taiana," Queen Marina said, "Did you sleep well?" 

"Yes," Taiana answered. For the rest of the meal, Taiana's parents talked about royal business and Taiana kept silent. After the breakfast dishes were cleared away, Queen Marina turned to Taiana. 

"Today, your father and I have a lot of business to take care of and there won't be much to do around here. You'd probably have more fun outside in the gardens." 

The family left the table shortly after. Taiana took her mother's advice and went out to sit in the garden. After awhile she began to get bored. _I never knew living in a palace could be so boring,_ she thought to herself. Taiana got up and paced through the garden. Once again she thought of Sean. _ He must think I'm such a jerk for not meeting him yesterday,_ she thought, _I wish I could go see him, but I don't want to bother the Kind and Queen, they're too busy. Maybe I could just sneak out. Yeah! I'll sneak out the gate and be back before..._ Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. 

"Princess Taiana?" A servant was standing at the garden's gate, "The King and Queen would like to see you." The servant turned and left. Taiana followed quickly. 

When they entered the palace, the servant stopped. "They are waiting for you in the parlor," he said and left. Taiana went to the parlor and pushed open the door slowly. 

"Surprise!" 

Taiana jumped and then smiled as she saw the balloons and streamers throughout the room. There was also a big sign that read "Welcome Home Taiana!" Her father and mother approached her. 

"Welcome home darling," her mother said. 

"This is why you sent me out to the garden?" she asked. 

"Yes," her father nodded. 

"We invited some of your friends," Queen Marina informed. She stepped aside to reveal all the children from the orphanage. 

"The children from the orphanage!" Taiana exclaimed. Jessie ran to her and hugged the princess. 

"Don't forget about us!" From the middle of the circle emerged Alayna, Blaize, Althena and Echo. 

"What?" Taiana gasped, "I thought you went home." 

"We did," Alayna answered, "but we wouldn't miss your welcome home party." 

"Yeah," Echo agreed, "the Queen promised there would be ice cream!" Everyone laughed. 

"This is so great," she said to her parents, "thank you." 

"There should be one more guest arriving," her mother told her, looking a little confused. At the precise moment, a servant entered with someone following him. "Oh, there he is." 

"Sean!" Taiana called and ran over to him. He gave her a hug. She turned back to her parents. 

"How did you know Sean was my friend?" 

"Sean is a friend of the family," Queen Marina. 

"What do you mean?" Taiana questioned. 

"My mother's a Sailor Scout," Sean informed. 

"How can that be?" 

"My mother is Sailor Pluto," Sean told her, "You see, if you live in the limbo of time, you never age. My mother wanted me to live a normal life, so she sent me to Venus because she knew the King and Queen very well. I didn't live with your parents, but they were always there incase I needed anything." 

"Wow," Taiana commented, "this is awesome." 

"Now that you know my life story," Sean laughed, "let's have some cake and ice cream." 

"YES!" Echo squealed. 

Everyone stayed for about three hours, then Laura told the orphans that it was time to go. They each gave Taiana a hug. 

"Are we ever gonna see you again, Tai?" Jessie asked. 

"Of course," she answered, "you can come and visit any time you want." 

After the orphans left, Alayna, Blaize, Echo and Althena decided it was time for them to leave too. 

"You guys have to promise to visit," Taiana told them. 

"We will," Althena agreed. 

"Of course we will," Echo piped up, "Venus has the best ice cream of all the planets!" Everyone groaned. 

"You have to visit us too you know," Blaize said. 

"I will," Taiana promised, "If you're ever in trouble, just call and I'll be there in no time." 

"We may hold you to that if the Negaverse comes creeping around again," Alayna commented. The girls laughed. 

"We better go before Echo sneaks our for some more ice cream," Blaize commented. Echo stuck her tongue out at her. 

"Moon teleport!" Alayna called. She was surrounded in a pink light, then departed. 

"Mercury Teleport!" Echo was engulfed in blue, then she vanished. 

"Mars Teleport!" Blaize waved as the red glow surrounded her and took her back to Mars. 

"Jupiter Teleport!" A green light swallowed Althena and she was gone. Taiana, Sean and her parents were left standing in the decorated room. 

"Bye guys," she whispered. 


	9. Epilogue: The Crest of Venus

Epilogue: The Crest of Venus

  


A month passed since Taiana's Homecoming Party. Sean came over almost every day and she had seen Jessie three or four times. She was wandering around the castle one day when she found a room she had never been in. She decided to check it out. 

She opened the heavy wooden door and was surprised to see shelves full of books. However, it wasn't the books that caught her eye, but the huge painting on the wall. It was a painting of Sailor Venus. 

She hurried out of the library and went to the throne room "Why is there a picture of Sailor Venus in the library?" 

"This used to be her castle," Queen Marina informed, "she is your grandmother." 

Taiana was shocked. Mina was her grandmother? 

"After she died," her mother continued, "A statue was built in her honor." 

"Where is it?" Taiana asked. 

"In the west garden," she answered. Taiana thanked her and ran from the throne room. By the time she reached the west garden, she was out of breath. She stopped to rest and that's when she noticed the statue. Forgetting about her lack of breath, she hurried on. 

When she reached the statue, she was in awe. The statue looked exactly like Mina. On the base of the statue was an inscription. She knelt down to see what it said. 

Sailor Venus   
Beloved ruler and sword protector   
of the planet Venus

Taiana stood back up and that's when she noticed it. Around the statues neck was a carved replica of the necklace Taiana wore. Etched in the middle was the symbol of Venus. 

Suddenly a hand touched her shoulder. Taiana jumped and spun around. She relaxed when she saw her mother standing there. 

"I didn't mean to scare you," Queen Marina said, "I wanted to come out here with you but you ran out too fast." 

"Did this necklace used to be hers?" Taiana asked, holding the topaz colored stone on her palm. 

"Yes," she answered. "It has been passed down through the generations. Oh." Queen Marina pulled something out of the folds of her skirt. "Here is a picture of her." She handed the snapshot to Taiana. "I'm going back inside. Hana should be waking up from her nap any minute." She left Taiana alone in the garden. 

Taiana stared at the picture. It had been taken in front of Raye's temple. She turned the picture over to see if there was any date. There was nothing. Taiana started to turn the picture over again when words began to appear on the back of the picture. Taiana watched in amazement as the back filled with words. It read: 

_Taiana,   
I wrote this in magic ink so only you could read it. Just something Amy whipped up in Chemistry. Wicked cool, huh? Anyway, I just wanted to say hi and thank you for helping us with the Negaverse. I hope they aren't giving you too much trouble in the future. Maybe sometime you can come visit me again. That would be fun. Gotta go. Bye!   
Love, Mina_

Taiana turned the picture back over and smiled. "Thank you for your help, Mina." 

********************************* 

Wow. After rereading this story I realized just how far my writing skills have come since I wrote this, which was about four years ago. I know it's not the best but all of my work is special to me, so please don't flame it too bad. Thanks for reading! 


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